Operator expectations

[cmiddleton1220]

I am curious how many hoppers everybody is feeding.  We currently have an SLS1000 - 10+1 setup.  I am only allowed 4 people to keep this thing running.  We are running at 9500 an hr, but actually producing 6500 hr.  The way it is now, my people are having a hard time keeping up.  In the past this has not been a problem.  I am wondering if my crew now is inferior, or if I used to just have a kick *** crew?  I just don't know what to expect of them anymore.  It seems like no matter who I get through the door, nobody can feed 3 hoppers anymore.  Am I asking too much?  I do understand that with volume this will be greatly effected, but am just trying to get somewhat of a general reference.  Does anybody require their feeders to feed a certain number of pages, or a certain number of hoppers?

Thanks in advance

[Lyn Brannon]

We currently have 24 open hoppers and run no more than 22 pieces at any one time. I use 9 people to run that many but only 2 people here are able to run 3 hoppers or more.
Those 2 will only run 3 hoppers if the inserts are news print and not slicks. I also run my SLS at about 11,000 CPH but produce a consistent NET of about 8800. There is
a pay off to running fast and feeding too many hoppers. Good luck getting your crew back up to kick-*** status.

[james fields]

Here we run a 227 inserter 7 into 1 with 5 heads front 2 heads run off the back that's are setup

when we run its with 2 on the inserter most days now with all the cut backs we run at a speed of 7000 per hour up to 8000 per hour.

Over the years I have found the people you get now are just not the same as they were years ago.

[Keith_Vargo]

We run a 12 into 1 SLS1000, generally we have 1 person per 2 hoppers. If we have SS we will have someone run 3, we also have operators running easy hoppers as well so they are able to run a head and also keep the line moving. At most we have 5 people on the line at once.

[Jay Wear]

We have a G-60 Titan with 25 heads. We run anywhere from 16,000 to 17,000 per hr. and avg 13,000 to 14,000 per hr.My folks feed anywhere from 2 to 2.5 inserts per run. When we have SS inserts or thin paged inserts we group them together and 1 person will feed from 3 to 4 of those.When we have a larger page insert, 40 pg. Menard's or the 56 pg Kohl's insert 1 person may feed that due to the speeds we run.We do have a sufficient amount of staffing but most are part time. On our larger runs Sunday edition we run about 18 to 21 inserts. We use about 9 to 10 hopper feeders.